Hibiscus plant named ‘Angel Eyes’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of winter-hardy, herbaceous, perennial, hybrid Hibiscus plant named ‘Angel Eyes’ comprising a rounded mound habit of multiple, well-branched, basal stems producing flowers starting earlier than most cultivars, opening from the bottom to the top of the mound beginning in late July and continuing for at least twelve weeks. Flowers have overlapping petals of near white with shiny deep-red eye and raspberry-red veins projecting into the middle of the petals. The foliage is primarily three-lobed and dark-green-colored. The new plant is useful in the landscape as a specimen or in mass.

Botanical classification: Hibiscus hybrid (L.).

Variety denomination: ‘Angel Eyes’.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES UNDER 37 CFR 1.77(b)(6)

The first publically released information of the new plant was on Feb. 1, 2022, when it was displayed with a photograph and brief non-enabling description on the website operated by Walters Gardens, Inc. The first disclosure, in the form of a sale, was made by Walters Gardens, Inc. on May 9, 2022. Walters Gardens, Inc. obtained the new plant and all information relating thereto, from the inventor. No plants of Hibiscus ‘Angel Eyes’ have been sold, in this country or anywhere in the world, by any name, nor has any disclosure of the new plant been made more than one year prior to the filing date of this application, and such sale or disclosure within one year was either derived directly or indirectly from the inventor.

BACKGROUND AND ORIGIN OF THE PLANT

The present invention relates to the new and distinct hardy, herbaceous, Hibiscus plant, Hibiscus ‘Angel Eyes’ hybridized under the direction of the inventor on Aug. 8, 2018, at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The new plant is a hybrid of the unreleased, proprietary hybrid known as 16-69-2 (not patented) times the unreleased, proprietary hybrid known as 16-4-1 (not patented). During the trial process, the new plant was assigned the breeder code labeled 18-109-3. Both parents have a complex mixture of species in them, comprising the species: moscheutos, lasiocarpos, and coccineus.

Hibiscus ‘Angel Eyes’ was first asexually propagated in the late summer of 2020 by sterile shoot-tip tissue culture and later by shoot-tip cuttings at the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The resultant asexually propagated plants have found both propagation methods to be stable and true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PLANT

Hibiscus ‘Angel Eyes’ differs from its parents as well as all other hardy herbaceous Hibiscus known to the applicant in many traits. The most similar Hibiscus known to the applicant are: ‘Ballet Slippers’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 29,896, ‘Cherry Choco Latte’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 30,738, ‘Crown Jewels’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,857, ‘Dark Mystery’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 32,036, and ‘Mocha Moon’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 27,837.

‘Ballet Slippers’ has a more upright habit, and the flowers are more ruffled and blushed pink on the margins, with a smaller red eye, and without the red veining. ‘Cherry Choco Latte’ has a slightly smaller habit, more burgundy-tinted, dark-green, deeply-dissected foliage, the flowers are larger with a folded leading edge, and the veining is a stronger deep magenta with more magenta blush near the petal margin, and more folded. ‘Crown Jewels’ has a more purplish cast to foliage and a lower spreading habit. ‘Dark Mystery’ has a slightly larger habit with deep mahogany-colored foliage and the red veining in the petals is less prominent. ‘Mocha Moon’ has a slightly shorter habit, the tri-lobed foliage is burgundy-colored, and the flowers have more overlapping petals of white with just a blush of pink and reddish veins extending only a short distance from the eye.

The female parent has a more upright and more branched habit with smaller flowers that are more cupped and the foliage was smaller more dissected. The male parent has a red flower with darker leaves.

Hibiscus ‘Angel Eyes’ is a unique hardy herbaceous Hibiscus with the following combined traits:

-   -   1. Winter-hardy compact perennial with a rounded mounded habit         of multiple, well-branched, basal stems;     -   2. Many rotate flowers with overlapping petals near white with a         shiny deep-red eye and raspberry-red veins;     -   3. Flowering is one of the earliest cultivars, beginning in late         July and continuing for at least twelve weeks;     -   4. Three-lobed foliage of dark-green color.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the overall appearance of the plant, including the unique traits. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Ambient light spectrum, source, and direction may cause the appearance of minor variations in color.

FIG. 1 shows a four-year-old plant in full flower in a display garden.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the flower and bud.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2015 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where common dictionary terms are used. The new plant, Hibiscus ‘Angel Eyes’, has not been observed in all possible environments. The phenotype may vary slightly with different environmental conditions, such as temperature, light, fertility, moisture and maturity levels, but without any change in the genotype. The following observations and size descriptions are of three-year-old plants in the loamy-sand, open-field full-sun display garden of a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental fertilizer and water as needed. The plants are of natural habit and were not treated with plant growth regulators, nor were they pinched at any time in the growth year.

-   Parentage: The female or seed parent is the unreleased,     non-patented, proprietary Hibiscus known by the breeder code     16-69-2, the male or pollen parent is the unreleased, non-patented,     proprietary Hibiscus known by the breeder code 16-4-1; -   Propagation:     -   -   Method.—Shoot tip cuttings and sterile shoot-tip plant             tissue culture division.         -   Time to initiate roots from tissue culture.—About two weeks.         -   Rooting habit.—Normal, branching, developing thick to about             2.2 cm diameter, fleshy; root color creamy yellow nearest             RHS 161D depending on soil type.         -   Crop time.—Under normal summer growing conditions 12 to 16             weeks to flower in a four-liter container from cutting.             Plant vigor is very good. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant habit.—Hardy herbaceous perennial with about 60 thick,             upright, heavily-branched stems producing an upright             spreading mound to about 146 cm tall and about 210 cm wide;             flowering in distal one-third of plant with up to about 37             flowers per main stem, average flowers per stem about 30.         -   Stem.—Cylindrical, glabrous, glaucous; to about 145 cm tall             and about 23 mm diameter at base, average about 130 cm tall             and about 15 mm diameter at base; branched.         -   Stem color.—Proximally between RHS 145A and RHS 148C,             distally blend of nearest RHS 146C and RHS 183B.         -   Branches.—To 11 per stem, average about 6 per stem;             cylindrical, glabrous, glaucous; to about 22 cm long and 3             mm diameter at base, smaller distally.         -   Lateral branch color.—Nearest RHS 146D in regions without             high light exposure and nearest RHS 183B in regions exposed             to high light.         -   Internode.—About 18 nodes per stem below branches and 29             below single flowers; average 44 nodes per stem; internode             length about 3.0 cm of unpinched plant.         -   Internode color.—Same as surrounding stem. -   Foliage description: Predominately tri-lobed with lobes of varying     lengths; alternate; coarsely and irregularly dentate; apex and side     lobes acute; base cordate; glabrous and matte both abaxial and     adaxial; moderately to shallowly incised, with lobes from 1 cm to 5     cm deep;     -   -   Leaf blade size.—To about 14 cm long and about 12 cm across,             average blade size 11 cm long and 10.5 cm wide; no fragrance             detected.         -   Foliage color.—Young expanding leaves — adaxial nearest RHS             137A, abaxial nearest RHS 148B; mature leaves — adaxial             nearest RHS NN137A, abaxial nearest RHS 147B.         -   Veins.—Palmate; lustrous; costate on abaxial.         -   Vein color.—Adaxial primary veins nearest RHS 187A in basal             15 cm, secondary and distal primary veins nearest RHS 194B;             abaxial veins variable, nearest RHS 182C with more light             exposure and between RHS 146D and RHS 145C with lower light             exposure.         -   Petioles.—Mostly cylindrical, proximally slightly applanate             on adaxial side near base; sparsely micro-puberulent; to             about 9 cm long and 6 mm across at base, average size about             7 cm long and 4 mm wide at base.         -   Petiole color.—Adaxial variable, nearest RHS 183A to blend             of nearest RHS 148A and RHS 176B; abaxial variable, nearest             RHS N144D, nearest RHS 146D and a blend between RHS 146D and             RHS 176C. -   Flower description: Complete; perfect; actinomorphic; rotate;     solitary; mostly outward facing; slightly cupped; rotate; lasting up     to two days on plant; -   Flower size: To about 18.5 cm across and 6 cm deep, decreasing     distally; dark red shiny eye medium width, about 4 cm across;     smaller later in the season;     -   -   Buds one day prior to anthesis.—Ellipsoidal with rounded             apex and bluntly truncate base; sepals adpressed to petals;             to about 5 cm long and about 3.5 cm diameter near middle.         -   Bud color one day prior to anthesis.—Exposed petal color             main portion nearest RHS 19D, distal margin nearest RHS 64B,             veins with light blush proximally to nearly solid RHS 64A             distally, and calyx between RHS 144A and RHS 146B.         -   Epicalyx.—Average about 10 per flower; linear; entire,             glabrous, with margin micro-ciliolate; dull surface abaxial             and adaxial; sharply acute apex and truncate base, arcuate             upwards near apex; to about 31 mm long and about 4 mm wide             at base.         -   Epicalyx color.—Adaxial nearest RHS 146B and abaxial nearest             RHS 137B with faint blush of nearest RHS 187C.         -   Calyx.—Campanulate, form star-shaped hypanthium; to about             270 mm deep and 54 mm wide at apices.         -   Sepals.—Five; ovate; acute apex; margin entire, edentate;             abaxial micro-puberulent and matte, adaxial glabrous and             matte; about 32 mm long, about 21 mm wide at fusion, basal             17 mm fused.         -   Sepal color.—Adaxial basal portion nearest RHS 146C, distal             portion nearest RHS 147B; abaxial basal portion nearest RHS             146B and distal portion nearest RHS 146B with moderate blush             near margins of nearest RHS N187A.         -   Inflorescence.—Up to 38 per main stem and branches without             pinching.         -   Flower lastingness.—Persist for one to two days; effective             for at least 8 weeks beginning late July.         -   Flower fragrance.—No detectable fragrance.         -   Petals.—Five; glabrous adaxial and abaxial; adaxial eye zone             lustrous remaining distal adaxial portion and entire abaxial             matte; adnate to the androecium to form a column, imbricate             to about 110% overlapping at widest part (petals overlapping             both petals on either side, so three petals are stacked             about 10%); undulation weak; palmately veined, primary veins             slightly impressed on adaxial and slightly costate abaxial;             surface mostly flat; apex rounded with distinct basal claw             and limb; margins entire, edentate; leading edge not folded             under itself.         -   Petal size.—Average about 13 cm across and about 9.2 cm             long, claw base about 8 mm across.         -   Petal color.—Adaxial basal 3 mm nearest RHS 59A, distal 15             mm of eye between RHS 187A and RHS N186B, outer portion             nearest RHS NN155C with transition zone between eye and             outer portion nearest RHS 61B, and veins of nearest RHS 64C             in decreasing intensity toward margin; veining longer and             prominent with cooler temperatures; abaxial basal 10 mm             nearest RHS NN155B, distal 30 mm nearest RHS NN155C, and             proximally faintly blushed with nearest RHS 45C, with distal             veins variable between RHS 64B and RHS 63D, and proximal             veins nearest RHS NN155B.         -   Flower lastingness.—One to two days.         -   Gynoecium.—Single; partially enclosed in column; Column:             glabrous and lustrous; about 40 mm long and about 10 mm             across at base; with pistil exserted about 17 mm; Column             color: nearest RHS NN155C; Style: micro-puberulent in region             exserted above column; about 57 mm long, penta-furcate in             about distal 7.0 mm, branch diameter about 1 mm; color             nearest RHS NN155A in exposed portion, and RHS NN155C             portion enclosed in column; Stigma: typically five;             flattened globose, puberulent, about 3 mm in diameter and             1.5 mm tall; color in nearest RHS 4D; Ovary: superior;             globose, longitudinally grooved in undulated pattern; acute             apex, and truncate base; about 11 mm across at base and             about 10 mm tall; color nearest RHS N144D.         -   Androecium.—Attached to column; Filaments: numerous, about             100, attached starting about 4 mm from base to 2 mm from             apex of column; to about 4 mm long, about 0.2 mm diameter;             color nearest RHS N155C; Anthers: flattened reniform;             dorsifixed; about 2 mm across, 2 mm long, and about 1 mm             thick; color nearest RHS 4D; Pollen: abundant, globose, less             than 0.1 mm across; color nearest RHS 158A. -   Pedicel: Cylindrical, glabrous in distal portion and micro     puberulent in proximal portion; glaucous; length from base of sepal     to abscission point about 2 cm long, from abscission point to stem     node about 5 cm long; about 3 mm wide; longer on early flowers and     decreasing in distal flowers; -   Pedicel color: Nearest RHS 146D proximal abscission point, and     nearest RHS 146D with moderate blush to nearly solid portions of     nearest RHS N187A distal abscission point; -   Peduncle: Cylindrical, glabrous, glaucous; flowering portion to     about 42 cm tall and about 12 mm diameter at base, average about 35     cm tall and about 10 mm diameter at base; -   Peduncle color: Blend of RHS 146C and RHS 183B; -   Fruit: Penta-loculicidal capsule; pubescent along inner septa,     glabrous outside; ellipsoidal, cuspidate apex and flattened base;     about 26 mm long and 22 mm diameter; color nearest RHS 200A when     mature; about 85 seeds per fruit; -   Seed: Minutely hispidulous; globose; about 3.5 mm in diameter; color     between RHS 200C and RHS 200D; -   Resistance: Hibiscus ‘Angel Eyes’ has not displayed any pest and     disease resistance beyond that typical of hardy perennial Hibiscus.     The plant grows best with plenty of moisture. -   Hardiness at least from USDA zone 4 through 9. 

I claim:
 1. A new cultivar of hardy herbaceous perennial Hibiscus hybrid plant named ‘Angel Eyes’ as herein illustrated and described. 